Accolades and Awards

2012

• Vermont is second most peaceful place to live: The United States is significantly less violent and more peaceful than it used to be, according to the United States Peace Index 2012 from the Institute for Economics and Peace. The State Peace Index is based on five factors: the homicide rate, violent crime rate, incarceration rate, police presence, and availability of small arms.

• On a recent trip to Vermont, I found myself drawing many parallels between Burlington and our own Charleston. Take away the obvious differences and you have two award-winning cities located on the water with unique characters, strong ties to history, a steady influx of tourists, and colleges located in their downtowns.

• Burlington International Airport has won Airport Revenue News' 2012 award for "airport with the most unique services" in the con­tests Small Airport Divi­sion.Click here for more.
• Forbes: One of America's Best Downtowns A two-nation escape: Using Burlington, Vt., as a base, vacationers can enjoy what this international region has to offer. More than 100 miles long, Lake Champlain boasts every imaginable activity for water enthusiasts. Just a few miles to the north, passport-holders can cross into Quebec for a day to visit hamlets and roadside markets with a decidedly French flair.

2011

• Forbes: One of America's Best Downtowns Although it does have some famous ski destinations nearby, Burlingtons not only attractive when there is snow on the ground. The citys location on Lake Champlain provides a scenic backdrop to a lively and charming downtown full of shops, restaurants, and one of the countries best craft breweries.

• Burlington ranked #1 place for guys by Men's Health Burlington, Vermont, has four colleges packed into 10 square miles. But you should never judge a city by its juvenile delinquents. The fact is, most of the men in Burlington could teach a graduate course in healthy living, they're that healthy.

• The Best Winter Carnivals of 2012 If there is a quintessential New England town, Stowe is a contender. Vermont-style skiing (read freezing cold temperatures and icy slopes) is top-caliber here. The Stowe Winter Carnival fits in so perfectly with the scenery, you may feel as if you walked into the back lot of a movie studio.

• Vermont ranked #1 healthiest state by the United Health Foundation, America&lsquos Health Rankings®, 2011 Edition shows Vermont at the top of the list of healthiest states again this year.

• Top 10 Cities for Outdoor Recreation - Outside Magazine - what sets Burlington apart from other U-towns is its ­affordability and, more ­important, its Green Mountain State sensibility. What&lsquos that mean? Smart grassroots ­organizations like the alt-transportation group Local Motion; great local food and beer like the pizza at Flatbread American, Farmhouse Tap and Grill, and (of course) Ben and Jerry&lsquos. And there&lsquos one really, really big lake.

• Top 10 for "Volunteering in America", - Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) Burlington, Vt. has 53,600 volunteers which is 37.7% of residents volunteer - ranking them 8th within the 75 Mid-size cities with 6 million hours of service, 42 hours per resident - ranking them 22nd within the 75 Mid-size cities.

• HOME Program "Door Knocker Award" recognition of exceptional contribution to affordable housing - HUD: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is recognizing 14 State and local governments with its coveted "Door Knocker Award" for their outstanding work in producing affordable housing. Click here to read more.

• #1 "Top Ten Small Cities" State of Well-Being 2010 - The Gallup-HealthwaysWell-Being Index® is the first-ever daily assessment of U.S. residents' health and well-being. By interviewing at least 1,000 U.S. adults every day, the Well-Being Index provides real-time measurement and insights needed to improve health, increase productivity, and lower healthcare costs.

• Top 10 Real Estates Markets to Watch in 2011 - Inman News: "Our rental market vacancy rate is very low for a number of reasons: older housing stock and tough permitting procedures, the local colleges, (a) popular place to live ... with the lake, hiking and skiing nearby. This, in turn, pushes our housing prices up well beyond what other parts of the state pay"

2010

• Kiplinger&lsquos (Magazine) Best Cities 2010: Burlington, Vt. The economy in our number-eight pick for Best Cities for the Next Decade is powered by the green movement. This mountain city wants to be a role model for saving the planet. Environmentalism isn&lsquot just ingrained in the city&lsquos diverse economy; it&lsquos the driver for much of its economic growth.

• A Woman&lsquos Day (Magazine) in... Burlington "I get to see beauty every day," says Nicci Micco, 34, who&lsquos lived in Burlington for eight years. "When I drive to work, Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks are on one side of the road and gorgeous farms are on the other."

• This time, it&lsquos national group PETA giving the honors. Burlington has once again received top accolades for our localvore way of life.

• New England's Most Enjoyed Secret - Vitality Cape Cod Magazine: Talk to someone who&lsquos lived in Burlington, Vt., or gone to school there, and you&lsquoll defi nitely get a rise! There&lsquos a buzz about the place.

• Burlington, Vermont rated #2 in the best college towns survey by MSN Local Edition. They called out via social media to followers and friends for their suggestions and created a compilation of eight that stand out as the best of what a college town has to offer.

• Burlington, Vermont recieves Home Depot Foundation Award of "Excellence for Sustainable Community Development" - Sustainable Cities Institute: In response to increasing urban sprawl that posed a threat to economic and social vitality as well as the environmental health of the community

• #1 Bass Fishing Capital - Outdoor Life - Burlington sits on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain, which, outside of the Northeast, is not widely recognized for its bass fishing. However, it has been a popular stop on the professional bass circuit for years.

• Arbor Day Foundation: Tree City USA is a recognition program sponsored in Vermont by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters and the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

• One of Best Cities for New Jobs This Spring - Forbes.com: The city of 140,000 is home to three institutions of higher learning, the University of Vermont, Champlain College and St. Michael's College. A nearby IBM semiconductor facility employs 5,000 people and is the 620,000-person state's largest private employer.

• Top 100 Places to Live in America - RelocateAmerica.com: Relocate America&lsquos research team compiled the list after evaluating extensive data on the factors most important in a community: real estate and housing, economic health, recreation, and safety.

• First Wave City - Carbon War Room: A non-profit organization that harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to implement market-driven solutions to climate change, today announced the first wave of cities selected to participate in the Green Capital Global Challenge.

2009

• Burlington, Vermont named the number 1 healthiest place by women SELF's survey of 100 U.S. metro areas reveals the fittest, healthiest and happiest women in the land. Now you can steal their life-improving secrets.

• The sixth annual "Survey of Destination Stewardship," conducted by National Geographic Society's Center for Sustainable Destinations, ranked Vermont fifth in the world and first in the United States. The rankings are published in the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

• Top U.S.cities to Live and Play picked by Click here National Geographic Adventure picks the winners for the category, Start a family, was Burlington, Vt, Bozeman, Mont. and Fort Collins, Colo.